Surangani Priyashanthi Solanga Arachchige, Sri Lanka, 20 November, 2024
Why study health at QUT
QUT is one of the finest universities for public health. QUT focuses on developing the hard and soft skills needed to become a health professional. From a teaching quality standpoint, the availability of integrated student learning spaces and support are great for international students. QUT has a reputation of an uncomplicated and supportive application process with quick replies, which made me choose QUT. I also received the QUT Merit Scholarship for my first year at QUT.
Working as a government official in Sri Lanka inspired me to pursue a Master of Public Health. This experience led me to think that through better public health promotion policies and prevention programs, I could contribute more to my country. I had to choose the path of speciality in my career, where I had gaps in my knowledge. I wanted to learn more about coordinating health services while expanding my knowledge and skills to contribute to policy development and prevention program planning, implementing, monitoring and assessing.
What is ‘real-world’ like in my health course
The real world consists of a mix of people from diverse cultures and ethnicities who may speak different languages. I found addressing a public health problem to be difficult before the course because people's attitudes vary. However, in the Master of Public Health, we were taught how to address various health problems using laws, policies, prevention, and promotion programs. I also learnt when working with different people an individual approach could be more suitable for real-world settings rather than choosing one solution for everyone. Most of all, the need for continuous evaluation and adjustments was highlighted in the course to improve our programs in real life.
An example of a real-world project I started with my supervisor was to prepare suitable epidemiological educational resource material for undergraduate Public Health students using BMJ End Games. My supervisor was incredibly supportive and provided guidance in every aspect. This was an excellent opportunity for me because instead of learning the theory of many epidemiological topics, I have gained the practical capacity to critically analyse and extract data from research studies. At the end of the project, I found I had more practical knowledge in public health research using various study designs and avoiding biases while using appropriate statistical tests. I was privileged to learn from QUT.
The highlights of my course
I found epidemiology and statistics units to be my favourite parts of my course as the lecturers were supportive in areas where we needed help. They were friendly, and we could reach them to resolve our concerns. Canvas was a major aid that allowed us to access lecture recordings, important study links, quizzes, and assessments. Student support, the library, drop-in sessions, cite-write, Studiosity (an online a 24/7 online writing support tool), EndNote and many other apps were available for learning freely for QUT students.
Even though I thought the course was tough at first, I was amazed by the help available through workshops and drop-in sessions to develop our research writing abilities and mathematical and statistical knowledge. Most importantly, I had access to e-books and research databases via the QUT library, where I accessed countless e-books and research articles during my studies. I was privileged to use such resources, and I believe prospective students will find it easy to learn at QUT with the availability of such an integrated study resource system.
The supportive QUT community and countless resources for students to develop various skills is extremely helpful and a fantastic way to make friends from all around the world.
Student life
I made friends attending lectures and while doing group work and assessments. Taking part in peer leader programs, attending various workshops, seminars, QUT guild activities, and students’ groups and societies events allowed me to meet people from other disciplines.
I was also a volunteer peer-learning leader in the Speakeasy Program. At first, I participated in a workshop for volunteer peer leaders, which was quite entertaining and resourceful. After that, my job was to boost the confidence of international students in speaking English. It was a really fun activity, as I met new students from various cultures. We chatted while walking in the Brisbane Botanical Garden near the QUT Gardens Pont or had coffee in Kelvin Grove.
Student support
I have used QUT’s medical support once, and the medical staff gave me the utmost support, ensuring my studies continued without any setbacks. I have utilised both academic and general support, and the staff were friendly and supportive in both instances. QUT has various workshops and other resources that explain how to prepare a resume, apply for a job, and undertake an interview. They provide support in providing suitable interview and work attire for students who have financial constraints in the Clothes for Careers program which can help students get a job, which is the ultimate goal of study.
